Eternia's Snow
by Summer-Lightning
Summary: It's the first night of the group's arrival in Eternia and not everyone can fall asleep so easily. Hinted Edea/Agnés. Kinda fluffy, let's-play-in-the-snow fic I wrote in the spur of the moment.


A/N: I recently started to play Bravely Default and since I'm a sucker for fem/fem relationships I decided to add a little something for the fandom. I hope you enjoy it!

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**Eternia's Snow**

The night was silent.

Edea lay in her bed at the inn and took notice of all the quiet noises around her. The steady breathing of her sleeping friends was one of them. It was funny because it had been a hard day for everyone and still, Tiz managed to sleep like an innocent little lamb, his breathing almost inaudible, while Ringabel snored ever so loudly in constantly recurring intervals.

In the bed next to hers, Agnés had an uneasy sleep, turning and moving around anew as the minutes passed and every time when Edea thought she had finally fallen asleep, her friend turned around, indicating that she still had not found rest.

She didn't need to look outside to know that it was snowing. She could hear the snow scrunching under the footsteps of a single person passing by the inn at this late hour, but that was not an indicator of snowfall, since Eternia was always covered with the trillions of tiny white crystals. No, no. She knew because… Why did she exactly?

It was an ability she had possessed as child.

The night sky was never as dark when it snowed; the clouds even appeared in an eerie red – only recently it came to her that this must have been because of the way her hometown was lit at night – unusually bright because of the huge medical tower.

Even now that she lay in her bed, just a sideways glance out of the window was enough to know that the sky was black and red again. She could see it in the strange lightning of the ceiling too.

And, strange as it might sound, the world seemed calm and silent when it snowed. Whether she was outside or in her room, she had always been able to feel the shift in the atmosphere.

Even though the temperature grew colder and the world quiet, especially during the nights, she had always found it comforting to know that it was in those times that flakes of snow descended from the sky in millions.

Edea pulled the covers up to her shoulders and cuddled up inside them, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. She felt at ease. As the warmth embraced her body she felt herself slip into the world of dreams.

Or not.

She heard someone throw the blankets to the side and the creak of the bed as the person stood up. It was enough to yank her out of her dream world.

Edea heard some more rustling and then the noise of boots walking over wood. The noise was sharp, even though it was apparent that the owner of the shoes tried to move as inaudible as possible.

It didn't take much for Edea to guess who of her not-so-soundly-sleeping teammates had left the room.

Drowsily she opened her eyes and as expected, Agnés's bed was empty now.

Wondering what her teammate might be up to, she decided to follow suit, got dressed and left the boys alone in their room.

Agnés was standing in the midst of the corridor, right in front of a window. She looked absent-mindedly at the outside, her hazel eyes following the soft swaying of the falling snowflakes. It was dark in the corridor, but the street lights illuminated her face gently, enabling Edea to see the wistful glance in her eyes.

Edea approached her slowly.

"It's beautiful, huh?" She asked with lowered voice, not wanting to wake up anyone who slept in their vicinity.

Agnés didn't flinch when Edea spoke; she just turned her head slightly to look at her friend.

"Yes, it's just like you described it."

There was something in her eyes, a little spark, which seemed to grow when she moved her glance towards the window again. This really _was_ the first time she saw snowfall, Edea realized. There was beauty in seeing someone watch something for the first time in their life – an experience that would never be the same afterwards, no matter how many times repeated.

"So… did you just get up to see the snow?" She asked.

Agnés shook her head. "No, I couldn't fall asleep."

"Why? The beds are a bit old, but the mattresses are more comfortable than in most inns we slept." Edea found.

"It's not that. I'm used to far worse." And even though she didn't say a thing, Edea suddenly remembered the old furniture at the temple of wind and could imagine that the soon-to-be vestals had slept in the same bed for generations.

"What is it then?"

"Well, it's kind of hard to fall asleep when you are amidst enemy territory, don't you think?"

"Oh."

Edea had not wasted even a single second thinking that she was anywhere else but home. While she could understand Agnés's doubts, she was also sure that for the night nothing would happen. Word didn't travel so fast.

"You don't need to worry. At least tonight nothing will happen, I'm sure of it."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but that… doesn't change the fact that all of my pursuers hailed from here, - all the people who want to see me dead." It was clear that she tried to convey her feelings with the most neutral words she could come up with. The fidgeting of her fingers gave away that she felt uncomfortable to bring that topic up again.

Edea's heart grew heavy – she had been one of them. Well, she hadn't wanted to see the vestal dead, but that didn't change the fact that she had believed all the lies she had been told her whole life. To make matters worse, she was the daughter of the Grand Marshall – Agnés's biggest enemy. The man who had set everything in motion in the first place.

Ever since that fact had come to light something had gotten between them. First it had been distrust and disappointment – and Edea couldn't blame her for that. After they had saved Egil from falling into the lava everything had seemed to be alright again, but it was moments like these, where she had to realize that such deep seated anger couldn't go away with just silly laughter.

Should she say something?

Edea lowered her eyes. But what? She didn't feel like "sorry" was the appropriate choice of words. After all, she belonged to the people who had killed her dearest childhood friend and the priestesses that had been like family to her.

She had never been good with words anyway.

However, that didn't stop her from trying.

"Hey, you wanna go outside and test if the snowflakes really taste salty?"

Agnés turned to face her and this time she looked genuinely surprised. The sudden change of topic had caught her off-guard.

"I, uh… I think it's really cold outside."

"Aw, come on! It's fun. You've got to do this at least once in your life! It's mandatory!"

"Mandatory?" Now she seemed almost horrified. As if she had missed to turn in a really important school assignment.

"Uh-hum!" Edea nodded with a bright smile. "Come with me." She extended her hand and went in to hold Agnés's, but in the split second bevor doing that she suddenly became self-conscious and instead grabbed her arm.

"Let's go!"

And with that, Agnés had no choice but to get dragged outside.

The weather was _cold_.

Really, very cold, Agnés found. She crossed her arms and held them close to her chest in hopes that this could keep her at least a little bit warm. She shivered and goosebumps formed all over her body.

Edea on the other hand didn't seem to mind the freezing temperatures at all.

"Look! I'm a dragon!" She said and exhaled deeply so that white breath escaped her mouth.

Agnés couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

"You really don't mind the cold." She noticed after a while of watching her friend fool around, to the extent that she started to rawr all over the placed and hitting invisible fiends with her fingers as claws.

"Well, I grew up here. So that's expected." Edea stopped playing pretend and walked over to her friend again. Slowly though, so she could enjoy the feeling of crunching the snow with her boots.

Agnés noticed and furrowed her brows. "Why do you walk like that?"

"Because it's fun!" The blonde extended her arms as if she would balance on an invisible rope and kept making steps in the snow.

"Really." This time Agnés wasn't fazed. She sighed and looked upwards to see the snow falling from the sky.

It was a beautiful sight, tranquil, calming her worries and easing her heart. She had already noticed earlier that the snow seemed to have this effect. Remembering the reason why she had been dragged outside she stuck out her tongue, waiting for the flakes to fall down on it. Moments later, she had her first taste of snow.

It wasn't sweet, but it wasn't very salty either. She had expected it to taste like ocean water, but to her it tasted more like regular water.

"So?" Edea popped up at her side.

"Not as salty as you made me believe." Agnés decided.

"I see."

Silence spread between them and again, Edea found herself unable to forget the things that hurt her. Having disappointed Agnés was certainly one of those, but there was also something else. She wanted to be Agnés's friend so badly and while they've had spent so much time together on their journey, it still didn't seem enough to her.

"So, tell me: What else can you do with snow, except walking funnily on it and trying to eat it?" Agnés's question tore her apart from her thoughts.

Her smile warmed Edea's heart. She needed a moment to get her words together.

"A LOT: You can build a snowman, go sledding – go ice-skating, though that's got nothing to do with snow and more with frozen water – make snow angels…"

"Isn't making snow angels and snowman similar?" Agnés wondered, because in her mind both things were made by sculpturing snow.

Edea shook her head. "Nope." She bent down to grab some snow and formed a ball in her hands. "But the most fun thing is: starting a snowball fight." She added with a cheeky grin.

Agnés looked between the snowball and Edea's grinning face and went pale. "Don't you _dare_…!"

It was too late though, for she was already hit in the face with the ball the next moment.

"Edea!"

"What? Try and stop me!" The blonde laughed and threw another snowball at her friend. This time, she only managed to hit her midriff, but it was enough to set the vestal in motion.

Agnés mimicked Edea's moves and threw back a few snowballs on her own. This went on for a while until they both ran out of breath.

"Truce?" Edea asked with her hands behind her back.

Agnés breathed heavily from the movement and only nodded.

"Good, I wouldn't like to fight my _dear_ friend the whole time…" Edea put her arm around Agnés's waist and pulled her close and together with the hint of sarcasm in her voice Agnés figured that this fight wasn't over.

She struggled to get away from the girl, but Edea's grip was too tight.

She closed in while embracing the older girl with her previously hidden hand and rubbed the snow all over the brunette's neck. The cold sensation made Agnés struggle even more and suddenly she lost her balance and fell down, dragging Edea with her.

Agnés's fall was softened from the snow and since Edea fell onto Agnés she didn't get hurt either. There was a moment where everything stood still and Edea couldn't help but taking Agnés's beauty in: Her reddened cheeks from the cold, the glistening wet hair, the eyes full of joy…

"Unacceptable." Agnés said, trying to sound insulted but in the end she couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Edea joined her and made the situation less awkward by rolling down to her side, instead of laying on her. Maybe she had blushed, but she was certain no one would notice in the dim light.

After their laughter faded away they just lay there in silence, amidst the snow and watched the sky silently.

"It's so beautiful." Agnés said.

"Y-yeah…" Edea stole a sideways glance at her friend before she lowered her gaze. She had a good idea of why her friendship with Agnés didn't seem enough, whatever she did. She looked up again and let the snowflakes land on her face. One of them touched her right under her left eye and melted, forming an unnatural teardrop.

Somewhere in the distance they heard snow scrunching under the boots of a passerby. It was a peaceful moment until Agnés sneezed loudly.

"Oh, we should probably head back before the wind vestal catches a cold." The blonde said and finally she started to feel her back growing ice cold. Well, she couldn't lay in the snow forever, no matter if she had known it for almost all of her life. It would still catch up and cool down her comparatively warm body.

It was a miracle that they both had managed to be out in the cold for so long without jackets.

"Yes." Agnés said and sat up. Now that they hadn't moved for a while the cold crept back into her bones and made her freeze and stutter.

Edea spread her arms and legs and moved them a few times together and apart, before standing up.

"Edea, are you still not finished with playing?"

"Oh, but I am." The blonde stood up then and offered Agnés a hand. The other female accepted it gratefully and with ease Edea pulled her up.

"I just wanted to show you a snow angel before we head to the inn." She said with a grin.

Agnés looked at their imprints and recognized the different form Edea's had. She smiled too. "Thank you." She sneezed again.

"Bless you."

"Thanks."

Both shook their heads to get the rest of the snow out of their hair. It was almost useless though, as most of it had already melted into water.

They hadn't gone too far from the inn, not even after a minute they stood before the entrance door.

"Agnés, I…" Edea wasn't sure what she was about to say, but she knew that she had to say at least something – that she _wanted_ to say something no matter what and how. She had so many feelings bottled up inside her, starting from her guilt for all the duchy had done up to her conflicted emotions regarding her relationship with Agnés that she just couldn't stay silent.

She wanted to find a starting point and untangle her feelings step by step.

That was proved wrong though, because Agnés gave her a kiss on the cheek, silencing her at once. It lasted only a couple of moments, cold skin against even colder lips and still, when Agnés let go a warmth lingered on her skin from which Edea couldn't fathom how it could have possibly gotten there in this ice cold night.

"I'm sorry, what is it you wanted to say?" Only now did the wind vestal realize that her friend had been about to say something.

Edea blushed fiercely. What was it that she had wanted to say exactly? Had there been something? Her mind was spinning.

"U-uh… Well, you know what we do to help against the cold? Cuddle up together!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she could have hit herself. How stupid was _that_? That didn't even remotely go into the direction of the things she had actually wanted to say.

Agnés sneezed again and opened the entrance door. "I'll take you up on the offer. Now let's get in, I fear I will turn into ice if I stay a moment longer outside."

"_What?"_

To say that she was surprised was an understatement. What the hell did just happen? Did Agnés actually agree to share a bed with her?

Edea shook her head to get her mind out of its daze and closed the door behind her as she entered.

They quickly changed into more comfortable and, most importantly, warmer clothes and dried their hair with a towel before going to bed.

Agnés didn't hesitate to snuggle close as she embraced her younger friend and rested her head on her chest. "This is already helping against the cold." She noticed as she closed her eyes.

Lucky for Edea she couldn't see that she had the blonde almost paralyzed.

"Thanks for taking me outside. I had tons of fun."

"D-don't mention it. I couldn't let the wind vestal stay a snow virgin forever." She was nervous and her face was probably all red, but she still managed to get her arms moving and hug Agnés back – everything else would have looked strange after all she had said.

Agnés smiled and a few seconds later she was already asleep. Their little adventure must have had tired her out.

Or maybe, she felt safe in her arms, Edea liked to think. She sighed and pulled her friend carefully closer as she looked out of the window.

Eternia's snow kept falling, unyielding, just like her will to protect her beloved Agnés for as long as she could.

END


End file.
